


A Little Longer

by LaMadeleine



Series: Fashion Assistant/Gallery AU oneshots [1]
Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, Sickfic, fits into a larger au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 03:38:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15788178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaMadeleine/pseuds/LaMadeleine
Summary: Pearl comes home one evening to find Violet buried under all the apartment’s blankets with the flu, she spends the evening taking care of her girlfriend.





	A Little Longer

Pearl fumbled with the lock on Violet’s apartment – _their_ apartment – the door swinging open in her third try of “turn the key and the handle at the same time, Pearl, seriously.” She threw her keys towards the little bowl Violet insisted on, watching them skid across the end table and to a stop just before the edge. Violet’s keys were already in the bowl, although Pearl wasn’t surprised, Violet almost always beat her home. Pearl smiled as memories of knocking on that same door after work came back to her: how she would drop herself into Violet’s arms the moment she opened the door, how Violet would complain even as she pulled Pearl inside and fed her coffee and wine and listened to her bitch about her day.

“Baby, I’m home!” Her voice rang through the apartment. “Baby? Vi?” Pearl shook off her heels and dropped them onto the rack, not willing to push her luck with Violet’s tidiness after Mug-gate.

 

The stillness of the apartment only struck her as she put her shoes down and noticed that Violet’s heels were missing from their usual spot – these ridiculous strappy things. Pearl had no idea how Violet’s feet hadn’t just dropped off. She padded into the living room. Pearl’s jumpers were missing from where they lived on the sofa, even though she was certain she left her favourite beige “monstrosity”, as Violet so _lovingly_ called it, there. It wasn’t there, and Violet hadn’t moved her stray clothing since they compromised on how much mess Pearl could leave around. Pearl looked around the room, eyes catching as they passed over the kitchenette where two mugs had been left out by sink, and only one of them was Pearl’s, she was sure of it. _Definitely_ not hers, she concluded, checking the spare mug and finding it half full. Violet wouldn’t have left it out, not after the verbal lashing she gave Pearl about how “things grow in drinks you leave out, they grow and then you have mould and this gross skin on it because you put sugar in coffee, and I know I use milk but that’s why I wash mine up straight away!”  
Pearl almost laughed at the memory, despite how much she had apologised for laughing at the time.

 

The apartment, however, was still quiet except for her own movements and worry began to gnaw at her gut. She pushed away from the sink and headed towards their bedroom, turning the corner and tripping over one of Violet’s missing shoes. Violet’s work bag and the other shoe trailed in a line towards their bedroom door. The door wasn’t even closed. Pearl peered inside, finding it the same as when she had left it that morning, with one notable difference.

“Violet?” There was a faint grumble from the heap of blankets in the middle of their bed. Pearl had to stifle her laugh as it shifted like a giant slug and a tiny bit of dark hair peeked out.

“Hmm?”

Peeling off her jacket, Pearl crawled onto the bed beside the heap, tucking her legs under her as she pulled back the covers to find a bleary-eyed Violet squinting up at her.

“Hey there, Pumpkin, whatcha doing?” Violet groaned softly, pressing her face back into the pillow she had somehow managed to wrap inside the blankets with her. Pearl reached out and stroked her hair back from her face, frowning slightly at how warm Violet felt under her fingertips.

“Vi, you’re all hot sweetie. All these blankets can’t be good for you.” She had barely managed to get a grip on one of the extra blankets that Violet must have brought in from the living room when Violet was grabbing her and whining.

“Vi, no. You can’t be cold under this.” Violet pulled the covers from Pearl’s hand, her grip tight as she wriggled further into her cocoon. “Violet…” Pearl saw the slight shake of her head even as most of it disappeared under the covers again. She sighed and stood up, deciding she might as well get out of her work clothes.

 

Pearl was wrangling the zip on her skirt when she heard Violet shuffling around behind her.

“Pearl?” Her voice cracked as she spoke and when Pearl turned to look at her, hands still on the zipper, what she saw matched it perfectly. Violet’s hair was loose and tangled around her face, the bags under her eyes dark and sunken. All the colour was gone from her face, a faint sheen of sweat across her forehead.

“Yeah?”

“You’re not leaving, right?” The arm she was holding herself up on shook slightly.

“Don’t be silly.”

Pearl finally got the zip to give and shimmied out of her skirt, grabbing her sweats as she sat back on the bed. The tiniest smile formed on Violet’s lips and she leaned her head against Pearl’s shoulder, eyes drooping as she waited. Violet jerked a little when Pearl tucked her hair back behind her ear, not having noticed that Pearl had finished changing, the whole movement making her body ache.

“I feel like shit.” Pearl chuckled, watching as Violet rolled back down onto the bed and fiddled with her blankets, her eyes slipping shut.

“No comment here, babe.” Violet opened one eye to glare at her weakly, closing it again when Pearl leaned over and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead.

“You’re really hot, Vi.” Violet hummed, still wrapped in most of her blankets. Pearl hummed back, pulling herself up and heading for the kitchen.

“Pearl?” She stopped in the doorway, looking back at Violet as she appeared over the edge of the blankets.

“I’m just getting you some water.” Violet looked thoughtful, biting her lip,

“Can I have tea, too?” she spoke softly and Pearl couldn’t hold in the laugh this time, rolling her eyes fondly.

“Anything for you, Pumpkin.”

 

Violet had retreated into her blankets again by the time Pearl walked back in, setting the water and the mug of tea – which smelled _terrible_ , by the way – down on the bedside table. She slid onto the bed, tugging gently at the edge of the covers, pulling them out from under Violet bit by bit until she heard her groan weakly.

“I’m not taking it away, but you can’t drink tea under there.”

The covers pulled out more easily after that, Violet no longer holding them around her with all her strength. Once Pearl had pulled out each layer she wiggled inside, tucking her legs in to lie face-to-face with Violet.

“Hey.” Violet only hummed in response, eyes closed and curled up in a loose ball with her arms holding something to her chest. Her fully-clothed chest, Pearl realised. She hadn’t even undressed from work, instead she was curled up in her dress and tights, half-awake.

“Pumpkin, this can’t be comfortable,” Pearl said softly, eying the fabric Violet was holding until- “Is that my jumper?”

Violet’s eyes cracked open then, blinking slowly at Pearl and then down at the item she had bundled against her, then back at Pearl again.

“Maybe?” Pearl grinned.

“I only get home an hour after you, Vi.” Violet hummed at her teasing, before an especially long blink and a quiet

“Michelle sent me home at lunch.” Pearl blinked owlishly at her, smile wiped from her face.

“You didn’t call.”

“You were working.” Pearl frowned, considering arguing with her before thinking better of it. Violet was home now and that’s all that really mattered.

 

“Do you want tea now?” Pearl asked, already sat up and reaching towards the bedside table when Violet gave a soft affirmative. Pearl handed her the mug as she struggled to sit up, moving to prop Violet up while she drank shakily, periodically rubbing her back and pressing her lips to Violet’s temple. Violet moved from the tea to the water quickly, Pearl wondering if she had been lying in bed for at least four hours without moving. When Violet had finished and Pearl had put the glass back on the table, Pearl took in Violet’s work dress, fitted in typical Violet fashion. Pearl held onto her hand as she slipped off the bed onto her feet, tugging on it lightly,

“C’mon Vi, you need to get out of these clothes.” Violet whined softly. “You’ll be more comfortable if you aren’t trying to sleep in a tight dress and a bra.”  
Pearl coaxed her out from beneath the covers just enough that she could peel off her tights while Violet made an effort with the zipper of her dress. Pearl watched as her face screwed up as she tried to focus both her brain and her arms on the task and, then, watched her face crumble into her hands, arms shaking from the effort of it. Violet moaned into her hands,

“I _can’t_.”

“Vi-”

“I can’t, Pearl, I can’t.” She looked up at Pearl then, eyes shining and brows creased in frustration.

 

Pearl pulled Violet gently to her, pressing her lips to Violet’s forehead again before reaching around her to finish undoing the zip and easing the dress off of Violet’s shoulders. Despite Violet leaning against her, Pearl managed to wrangle her out of the dress and her bra, chucking them onto the dresser as Violet slumped back onto the bed. Pearl rifled through Violet’s drawers, looking for something loose enough to be comfortable for someone pitching a fever.

“Do you want pyjamas?” Violet didn’t answer. “Vi?”

Pearl found an oversized t-shirt that she was sure was actually hers and pulled it out. Violet hummed her belated acknowledgement.

“Pyjamas?” Pearl held up the shirt. Violet shook her head, still curled up on top of the covers. Pearl put the t-shirt back and grabbed the glass off the bedside table.

“I’ll go get you some more water.” She vaguely heard Violet mumble an agreement as she made her way out to the sink.

 

When she returned, Violet was spread out delicately on her front, deadly silent and still apart from the puffs of her breathing. Leaving the glass to the side, Pearl edged her way onto the bed, pulling the covers over Violet, Violet humming as the cool sheet settled over her back. After Pearl had reassembled Violet’s blanket heap to some level of success, Violet rolled over to look at her through sleepy eyes, a small smile on her face.

“I did pretty good, didn’t I?” Pearl quirked an eyebrow. “With you. I got you, I did pretty good.” Pearl couldn’t help laughing,

“Okay, you’re definitely sick, you’re being _nice_.”

Violet grumbled a little but was appeased immediately when Pearl leaned over to press another kiss to her overheated forehead.

“Get some sleep, Pumpkin.” Spoken softly with the laugh still lingering in her voice as she brushed the hair back from Violet’s face and stood to leave.

“Pearl.” Violet’s voice suddenly desperate, Pearl turned back to her. “Stay with me?”

Violet edged further to one side to make room for her, curled up on her side with all her blankets and something childlike in her eyes. Pearl rolled her eyes with a smile and dropped onto the bed without comment, setting herself up against the pillows, arms open. Violet crawled into her arms, fitting herself against Pearl’s chest.

 

They lay in silence, Pearl alternating between scrolling through her social media and running her fingertips along Violet’s back as Violet dozed uneasily. It was only after Pearl had sifted through her whole work inbox and was trying to type an email to her boss one-handed that she noticed that Violet had dropped off and was puffing breaths across her chest. She smiled down at her, wiggling the fingers on her left hand. They felt a little fuzzy but, as she looked at Violet curled into her side with her hair all over the place, she would do anything to let her sleep for a little longer.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this and it fell into the Fashion Assistant/Galley AU which I swear I will bless you all with at some point. I'm working on my filing for these, please be patient with me.
> 
>  
> 
> If you're feeling friendly I love a chat, you can find me here: https://togatenine.tumblr.com


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